


Descension

by gleefulmusings



Series: Bits and Pieces [6]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-11
Updated: 2014-05-11
Packaged: 2018-01-24 07:37:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1596899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gleefulmusings/pseuds/gleefulmusings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Kurt is annoyed with Angel and has a big announcement.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Descension

**Author's Note:**

> This is a sequel to "Summary," a one-shot in the _Tickle My Fancy_ series.

Xander walked aimlessly about the ground level of the school, smiling softly at nothing in particular, still surprised by the new life and sense of purpose that Brittany and Kurt's arrival had injected into the place.

After Brittany had decided, with Kurt's support, to make Cleveland her base of operations, she had quickly moved into the compound, brightening everyone's day and increasing the cheerfulness factor by almost a thousand percent. Such relentless joy should have been obnoxious and cloying but was instead, somehow, charming.

Everyone loved her and felt a great desire to protect her, despite the fact that she was perhaps the strongest of the Awakened Slayers. She was deadly on the battlefield, prowling about with a feline liquidity and a ruthless lethality, dispatching demons as though they were nothing more than troublesome gnats.

Xander wasn't sure if she was naturally gifted or if the recent death of her girlfriend Santana had inspired Brittany to eradicate evil whenever it was encountered.

What was most remarkable was that no matter how great her kill count, no matter how many innocents she had saved, no matter how dire the situation appeared, Brittany was always sunny and optimistic, inspiring her fellow Slayers in ways that hardcore veterans Buffy and Faith never could.

If Slayers had a poster girl, it undoubtedly would be Brittany Pierce.

More than a few Slayers had developed a romantic interest in the girl, but Brittany always let them down with great delicacy. She wasn't ready to move on from Santana and most likely never would be. From everything Xander had been told about the girl, by both Kurt and Brittany herself, Santana wouldn't be an easy act to follow. In fact, the more he learned about her, the more he was reminded of Cordelia Chase, and the more he mourned the latter.

Kurt's presence hadn't helped with that. If he hadn't announced himself as Cordelia's cousin, it nevertheless would have been apparent to anyone who had known her. In fact, they were so much alike that, had it been mathematically possible, Xander would have sworn Cordelia had birthed and raised Kurt. It was eerie and slightly uncomfortable how much he echoed her. Sometimes, it was almost as though he was possessed by her.

It was eerie because, whatever else she had been, Cordelia Chase was a true original, so while Kurt shared some of her mannerisms and her incredibly sharp tongue, he wasn't her, but his mere existence hallmarked her and it was painful to those who had known and lost her. More than once, Xander had walked into a room to overhear Willow and Buffy discussing and missing Cordelia, though they always fell silent upon catching sight of him.

It was uncomfortable because those parts of Kurt similar to Cordelia called out to Xander, and it took everything in his power not to respond. He was never sure if Kurt was aware of this fact because, although Kurt had flirted with him from the moment they had met, it had never affected Xander as greatly as it had recently and he couldn't help but wonder if Kurt was taking advantage of that fact.

He doubted it was true. Kurt was more than happy with Giles, and Xander had never seen the Watcher as carefree and stupidly giddy as he was when in Kurt's company. Not to mention that Xander himself had cautiously begun dating Tina Cohen-Chang. He wasn't given much choice in the matter - Tina had simply shown up one day and announced he now belonged to her - but neither had he protested too much. Tina reminded him a lot of Willow before the magic had so changed her.

Seeing Giles so relaxed and genuinely content had been shocking. Even Jenny had never made Giles this happy. All of them, but particularly Buffy, had been taken by surprise, and not just because no one had ever had an inkling that Giles was bisexual, although Xander had always had his suspicions about Ethan Rayne.

Still, if anyone deserved such peace, it was Giles, and they all had become very protective of the pair in response. Perhaps the most shocking change brought about by their dating was that Kurt had somehow managed to make Faith and Buffy get along.

No one knew how he did it, other than the fact that both girls adored him and were always happier when he was hanging around. He didn't tolerate their fighting with each other, however, and when they started sniping, he would abandon them altogether and then stop talking to them as punishment.

Kurt had become the Slayer Whisperer. If Brittany was the poster girl, he was the mascot.

The other Slayers were rabid over him, desperate for him to pay them any attention, and they became especially hysterical when he took them shopping or to the movies or accompanied them on any activity which made them feel _normal_. That had become especially apparent when Rona had snapped Andrew's wrist when he had gotten a little too handsy with Kurt, which had also served to beg off Dawn, who, for quite some time, was certain Kurt was hiding some small kernel of heterosexuality.

Thanks to the Slayers, led by Brittany's charge, Kurt Hummel was probably the safest person to walk the streets of Cleveland.

Xander was glad for that fact, if for no other reason than Angel was arriving tonight to make reports to Giles and Buffy, as well as to meet Kurt. Faith had foolishly let it slip that Cordelia's cousin had turned up on the new Hellmouth, with a Slayer in tow and wielding Cordelia's power.

He didn't know what the hell she had been thinking and Faith was appropriately rueful, but the entire compound was now on tenterhooks, waiting for Angel to make his appearance. Buffy and Spike were particularly on edge.

He could only hope that Kurt would handle Angel as effectively as he had Spike.

* * *

Four hours later, the sun had set and the Executive Council, as well as Kurt, Tina, and Brittany, were gathered in the large drawing room awaiting Angel. Faith and Willow were excited, Giles was resigned, Buffy and Spike were wary, and Dawn and Andrew were taking delight in waxing poetic on Angel's unearthly beauty.

Brittany and Kurt were playing Old Maid without a care in the world. Tina was painting her nails, after insisting that Xander also required a manicure. Throughout the ordeal, Tina had donned a faux accent reminiscent of Margaret Cho's mother.

"It will be fine, Rupert," Kurt said in a soothing voice. "I don't understand why you're allowing this creature to have so much power over you. He's nothing remarkable."

That comment had just earned Kurt the eternal admiration of Spike, who also had unwittingly fallen under Kurt's spell. Ever since Kurt had viciously attacked his entire character, all but demanding a suitable explanation as to why the vampire should be allowed to walk the earth, Spike had been thoroughly besotted.

Giles removed his glasses and began polishing them furiously. "My past with Angel is complicated, my darling," he said, smirking with delight as Kurt flushed at the endearment. "I've explained to you about Jenny."

Kurt darkened. "Yes."

Buffy, Willow, and Xander winced.

Giles sighed. "And, fair or not, I still hold him responsible for corrupting Buffy and the death of Kendra."

Buffy averted her eyes and swallowed heavily.

Kurt eyed her with no small measure of wariness. "I don't mean to offend you or Buffy, Rupert, but she is accountable for her own choices. She has accepted responsibility for them and it does her no favors when you seek to blame others for the decisions she has made. She was young, in an impossible situation, and made some poor choices." He raised a brow. "As have we all, and as have you. Don't take from her that for which she has fought so hard."

Buffy smiled blindingly at him.

"I thought Drusilla killed Kendra," said a confused Brittany.

"Only under his command," Giles insisted.

Kurt sighed. "Rupert, I think what you have failed to acknowledge is that whether or not Angel is in possession of a soul is ultimately irrelevant. A soul isn't a guarantee that a person or creature will behave in a rational or humane manner. At the end of the day, he, as Angel or Angelus, is a vampire. Slayers are his natural enemies. His order for Drusilla to eliminate Kendra was cruel and heartless, but he was fighting to ensure his own survival. I'm not excusing his actions, but would you expect Buffy to do any less if it meant saving her own life or that of her friends?"

Giles sighed and glared down at the desk.

Kurt gently placed his cards on the table, stood, and crossed the room. He wrapped his arms around Giles's neck and laid his head on the man's shoulder.

"I love you," he said quietly. "Just as Buffy is the most successful Slayer on record, so too are you the most successful Watcher. Please don't forget that fact. You've fought long and hard to preserve the lives of your children. No one questions your love for or devotion to them, so please don't allow a simple vampire to unseat your confidence. You have nothing to fear from him, and if he insists on causing problems, Brittany will handle him."

Brittany bared all of her teeth in a very wide smile.

Kurt smirked. "And don't count me out. I'm very curious about Angel and I have some questions he will answer. If he prevaricates, there will be...consequences."

Spike snickered. His relationship with Kurt could be described as frosty at best, mostly due to Kurt's own intransigence, but he certainly respected the little tosser. Kurt Hummel was intimidated by nothing and no one. It was somewhat of a dangerous attitude, but he had the power to back it up.

Giles laid his hands over Kurt's own. "I give thanks every day to every deity I can name that you have come into my life." His breath hitched. "I honestly have no idea what I have done to deserve you, but I plan to spend the rest of my life making you as happy as you've made me."

Kurt leaned down further and pressed his lips to Giles's cheek in a gentle kiss. "You already have."

Faith was furious with herself for sniffling like a bitch on the rag. Such sentimental bullshit usually pissed her the fuck off, but Jeeves and Dollface were the real deal.

It made no sense. Giles was old enough to be Kurt's grandfather. A very young grandfather, to be sure, but grandfather nonetheless. It should have been gross and obscene, but for some fucked up reason to which she'd probably never know the answer, it was _sweet_.

Dollface was prissy, confrontational, prickly, and obnoxious - everything Giles should have found anathema, everything he had found disdainful about the Scoobies at one time or another, but from which he now took comfort instead.

It was fucking weird.

Dollface challenged Jeeves, made him unwind about some stuff and even rethink others. It had reached the point that those who had difficult matters to discuss with Giles first went to Kurt in order to find out how best to approach the Watcher. Kurt had put a stop to that real damn quick, though, announcing that he wasn't Jeeves' secretary and people needed to deal with their own shit.

Faith respected that. Dollface, for all his pretension and huge fucking brain, kept shit real. She appreciated that. He reminded her a lot of Cordelia - Anya, too - and she was sure that Xander had noticed it as well. She'd never talk about it with him because, while he had forgiven her, there were still some lines she dared not cross.

"Fang's not going to cause problems," she said hesitantly. "He just wants to check in and let us know what the fuck went down in L.A." Her look became fierce. "It's been years, and I want to know. Wes and I had our damage, but it ain't right that he died. Chuckles and Mouse...I liked them." She shook her head. "They shouldn't have gone out like that."

Willow nodded. She had met Angel's gang and had also liked them, though she hadn't known them well. She felt particularly saddened by Fred's death and didn't even want to posit the entity which had overtaken her.

Kurt's head rested on Giles's shoulder, though he was staring off at nothing. "Cordelia doesn't even have a grave I can visit," he said quietly. "That's wrong."

Brittany and Tina exchanged a sad glance. Xander flinched.

"Were you close with her?" Buffy asked softly.

They were all curious about Kurt's relationship with Cordelia, especially as he often refused to discuss it.

"Not really," he said after a long moment of silence. "I wasn't even ten when she moved to Los Angeles and became involved with Angel. We weren't friends. We'd only met a handful of times." He swallowed heavily. "She was kind to me. I never had much family. Now that she and Dad are gone, I have none, save Brittany, Tina, and our other friends." He gave a small smile. "And now all of you, of course." His eyes darkened. "But Cordelia was my blood."

Spike nodded. He understood. He had turned his mother for that very reason.

Brittany saw the dark place into which Kurt was heading, and decided to steer him away from it. She gently cleared her throat. "I heard from Puck today."

Kurt and Tina looked at her with interest.

"How is Noah doing?" Kurt asked.

"He's okay," Brittany said. "He misses us and wants to come visit, but I think that's mostly because we live in a big house full of girls and he wants to see if he's still a sex shark."

Kurt rolled his eyes as Tina snickered.

Buffy, Xander, and the others exchanged a curious look.

"Finn wants to see you," Brittany said quietly.

Kurt stiffened.

Tina sighed and put down her nail polish. "It's past time, Kurt. You just said you don't have much family. Don't ignore the ones you do have."

"He's not my family."

"He was going to be," she sharply countered. "What happened to your dad wasn't his fault."

"I know that, Tina," he said coldly. "I've never blamed him for Dad's death, but for how he reacted to it, as though he were more entitled to mourn the man than I was." His gaze bore into her. "You remember the funeral. He made it all about him and acted as though I was some interloper instead of the orphan I had become."

Tina winced. That was true, she silently acknowledged. Finn had been a total asshole at Burt's funeral, and even a furious Carole hadn't been able to rein him in.

"He and Rachel are getting married," Brittany said.

Kurt snorted. "Ten to one she sings as she walks down the aisle."

Brittany and Tina cackled.

"She'll sing?" asked a dubious Faith.

"Rachel Berry?" asked an incredulous Kurt. "She was born singing and hasn't shut up since."

Dawn's eyes widened. "That girl from Broadway? You know her?"

Kurt sighed. "Unfortunately." He shot puppy eyes at Tina. "How about I send them a really nice gift they won't appreciate or know how to use?"

Tina rolled her eyes but at last shrugged. "Do whatever you want. You always do."

He glared at her, which she ignored.

"You were always a better singer than her, Kurty," Brittany said.

Giles looked up at Kurt with interest. "You sing?"

Brittany snorted. Loudly.

" _Sing?_ " Tina repeated, shrieking. She pointed a finger at Kurt. "This dizzy bitch has a four octave range and can hit notes most prepubescent girls couldn't reach!"

Kurt flushed and looked down when everyone studied him. "I won't sing. Don't ask me."

Brittany released a sad sigh. "Kurty hasn't sung since Santana's funeral." She looked at him with welling eyes. "You were amazing," she whispered. "She would have loved that performance."

Kurt bit his lip as his own eyes welled in response.

"What did you sing?" Xander asked.

Tina snickered. "He did a mash-up of _Abide with Me_ and _I Touch Myself_." She shook her head. "Totally inappropriate, but totally Santana."

Brittany smiled fondly.

"An interesting choice," remarked an amused Giles.

Kurt shrugged with feigned indifference. "Santana was an interesting person."

They were all startled out of their musings when the doorbell rang.

Kurt nodded. "Girls." At once, and as one, Tina and Brittany flocked to his sides. "All right. Chins up. Noses up. Let's do this."

They stalked from the room toward the foyer as the others stared after them.

Faith sighed, shaking her head. "Poor Fang."

* * *

Kurt elected Tina to open the door because she had the most unnerving stare he had ever had the misfortune to have leveled at him. She could make her face completely blank and avoid blinking for a ridiculous amount of time. It was very unsettling and extremely creepy, like those dolls who sat on shelves with their eyes following your every move.

Angel soon fell victim to The Look and quelled beneath it.

Tina stood on the threshold, arms crossed over her chest, hip cocked, and stared.

Then she stared some more.

"Hello," he said slowly, desperately trying and failing to remove himself from the penetrating gaze. "My name is Angel."

Tina's glare became, impossibly, even more unimpressed.

"Is Buffy home?" he asked hesitantly, feeling very much as though he were meeting the parents of a blind date.

Tina looked him up and down, snorted, and stepped back, turning toward Kurt. "I don't get what the big deal is."

He shrugged.

Brittany cocked her head and stared. "His forehead is very large." She beamed. "Just like Tyra!"

Faith's hysterical laughter echoed throughout the first floor of the house, but Angel ignored it, far more interested in studying Kurt.

"You look nothing alike," he whispered, "but everything about you reminds me of her."

Kurt remained silent.

"You smell like her," Angel continued, longing plain on his face. "You use the same detergent, but it's more. It's something in you, something I've never known before and have never encountered outside of her."

"You can say her name, Angel," Kurt said quietly. "It's okay that you miss her."

Angel drew in a shaky, unnecessary breath. "I never knew it was possible to hurt this much and still be alive." He paused. "Or undead."

"Whatever," they both said.

Kurt's lips quirked upward. "I see you picked up her vernacular."

"It was inevitable, much like Xander and his poor fashion choices."

Kurt snorted and shook his head. "Come in, Angel."

* * *

They all gathered once more in the drawing room, tension so rife it could filleted.

Angel exchanged greetings with Dawn and Buffy, hugs with Willow and Faith, and a nod with Giles, who had banished Andrew to the kitchen. Xander was noticeably quiet, while Tina and Brittany waited to be introduced. Spike was sulking in a corner, feeling resentful and jealous.

"You and Giles?" Angel asked Kurt, who arched a brow. "I can smell you on each other."

"You're creepy. Yes, Rupert and I are together. Do you have a problem with that?"

"No," Angel replied, surprising everyone. "Cordelia had a lot of respect for Giles." He smirked. "He was one of the few for whom she held any respect. Other than herself, of course."

Giles chuckled, his eyes shining. It hadn't truly hit him until Angel walked into the room that Cordelia was dead. It was an unwelcome realization. He quickly fell into despair.

"Where is she buried?" Kurt demanded.

Angel stared down at the floor. "She wasn't. She didn't want to be put in the ground. She was very adamant about that, especially after I told her what had happened to Sunnydale." He ground his teeth. "After she woke up and we had dealt with...certain things...she wanted to go back, to pay her respects to Joyce."

Buffy inhaled sharply.

"When I told her she couldn't because there wasn't anything left, she became enraged. She was furious that those she had loved and lost were now buried under rubble like so much trash. She made me promise that, if she died, I would have her cremated." He swallowed. "I scattered her ashes off Vancouver Island."

Kurt, Brittany, and Tina exchanged a glance.

"So you're the one who tripped the wards," Kurt said. At Angel's questioning look, he continued. "The Chase family had a summer home on the island, but lost it after the audit. After I came into my trust funds, I bought it back to give to Cordelia. She loved it there." He scowled. "I never got the chance."

He shook his head, anticipating Angel's next question. "There's nothing I can tell you about her that you don't already know. I was her blood, but you and Alexander were her family. The two of you know far more about her than I ever will." He sighed. "I understand what you did and why you did it, but I'm furious with you for not contacting her other friends, or me, after her death. I know she had a will, Angel. As you were the executor and she had left things to me, I know you knew about me."

Angel said nothing.

Buffy and Giles were appalled and even Faith found herself unwilling to defend Angel.

Kurt's scowl became thunderous. "I was owed the chance to say goodbye to her." He waved his arm to encompass the others. "These people were owed that chance, as well." He curled his lip. "I can only hope that the reason you didn't hold a memorial service was because there were pressing supernatural reasons for not doing so, because the thought that you just didn't want to have to deal with Alexander would probably ensure that I kill you where you stand."

Xander looked up and blinked. "What?"

Willow's mouth set in a grim line and Tina began prowling the room like a caged tiger.

Angel sighed, understanding there was no recourse. "She never stopping loving you," he said to Xander, refusing to address the man by name. "You ruined her. Regardless, the only reason I didn't hold a memorial service was because, as Kurt indicated, there were pressing concerns, namely Illyria. Then there was Lindsey and Eve, followed by the deaths of the others."

Kurt nodded. "I suspected as much," he said softly. "Still we should have been told when it happened, not months after the fact. There was no good reason for that, other than that you simply didn't want to do it."

He raised a brow. "Further, giving Alexander that much power over Cordelia would see her rise from the ashes to stake you with a tree limb. She was _Cordelia Chase_ , not some simpering heroine out of a romance novel. Things might not have worked out between the two of you, but that was hardly the fault of Alexander. Powerful supernatural forces conspired against you." He smirked. "Did you never stop to think they conspired against Alexander and my cousin, as well?"

Xander stood.

"What are you saying?" Angel harshly demanded.

Kurt was appalled by the stupidity of a creature centuries old. "You were correct in your statement that Cordelia loved Alexander deeply. She always did, long before they actually began dating, and he her."

Several sets of eyes swung toward Xander, who nodded, blushing slightly. He was grateful when Tina took his hand in hers and held tightly to it.

"Angel," Kurt continued, "you know that if you're lucky, you'll find one true love in your life. You've lived several lifetimes and have found three: Darla, Buffy, and Cordelia. Each were very different from one another and you loved them in wholly different ways. You make no apologies for your love for them, yet you feel Alexander should apologize to you? Are you truly so arrogant?"

Buffy stared at Angel as though truly seeing him for the first time. Faith appeared contemplative while Willow was filled with sorrow, remembering Tara and wondering what had befallen Oz.

"How do you know all of this?" Angel hissed.

"I'm the Seer, Angel," Kurt easily replied, "and I see everything, including her."

Angel reeled back as if struck. "You've seen Cordelia."

"Yes."

"You've spoken with her?"

"Yes."

Angel trembled with barely-suppressed emotion. "Is she here now?"

"She is," Kurt confirmed. "She's standing next to Alexander, hands on her hips, and glaring at you." He waved at her and laughed heartily when she flipped him off.

The others gasped before turning to stare at the location which Kurt had indicated.

"What did you mean about forces conspiring against us?" Xander asked plaintively.

Kurt frowned. "Cordelia loved you, Alexander, and she still does. She always will, just as she'll always love Angel and as you continue to love Anya, and now Tina."

Both Tina and Xander blushed.

"For what it's worth, Cordelia approves," Kurt said. He smiled at the two, and then soured when Cordelia turned her glare on him. "Oh, please, you know it's true." He held up a hand. "If these threats continue, I will have Willow send Drusilla to be your permanent afterlife companion."

Cordelia's eyes widened and she turned to study Xander, reaching out to touch his face, her own marred with frustration when she could not.

"Dru is dead, then?" Spike whispered.

"I'm sorry, William," Kurt said, "but she is. I don't know the details."

Spike nodded to himself and fell silent, experiencing a curious mixture of regret and relief.

Kurt turned back to Xander. "Jasmine had fixated on Cordelia long before Los Angeles. Don't forget that that abomination existed in a place outside of time and space. She plotted for millennia to make her return and, when Cordelia was born, chose her to be her...incubator."

"Why?" Xander demanded, crossing the room swiftly and grabbing Kurt by the shoulders. "Why her? What had she ever done to anyone? Out of all of us, she was the only one who never lied or cheated or..."

"You just answered your own question," Kurt quietly interrupted. "Cordelia, despite her cruel tongue, was a pure soul." He shook his head. "Only one that pure could have the power to host something so foul."

"Are you saying that...that... _thing_ broke Xander and Cordy up?" Willow barked.

Kurt gave her a bland look. "Yes, and she used you and Spike to do it."

She shuddered and fell silent.

Kurt looked back at Xander. "She had to separate you if her plan was to work. She planted in Cordelia the idea of becoming an actress. She engineered Cordelia and Angel's reunion. She brought about the prophecy resulting in the birth of Connor."

He paused, anger pouring off him in waves. "And then she possessed my cousin and forced her to seduce and have sex with the boy she considered her own son."

"Connor," Angel whispered. "He's never gotten over it."

"He was as much as a victim as Cordelia was," Kurt said. "He'll see that, he'll get through it, but it will take time."

"I don't understand why I can't feel her," Willow said, frowning. "Cordelia, I mean."

"Well," Kurt began, "there could be two explanations. The first is that, as a Higher Being, Cordelia has more power than anyone in this room, including the ability to shield herself from magical detection."

Willow blinked.

"And the other?" Buffy asked.

Kurt smirked. "Cordelia isn't dead."


End file.
